TABS - The Chosen: A Shrouded Destiny
by Joshpro8423
Summary: Everyone wants to know what they were put on this Earth for, but not as much as Allard Goldbeak. All his life he kept wondering what he was meant to do, what he had promised his dying father to find. But as life lays downs the different paths for him to take, will he be able to follow the right one? Rated T just to be safe.
1. Prologue

_**The Chosen:  
A Shrouded Destiny**_

_It all starts with one good deed..._

**Some Info:**  
I have finally decided to make another _Trilogy And Beyond Series_ just because I finally found inspiration for a novel that I can and will write as long as I possibly can. I aim for this story to be nearly as long as Cudabear's _The Sun Chronicles Trilogy_, where the first book of that is over a **150k words and 50+ chapters**!

**Summary:**  
Everyone wants to know what they were put on this Earth for, but not as much as Allard Goldbeak. All his life he kept wondering what he was meant to do, what he had promised his dying father to find. But as life lays downs the different paths for him to take, will he be able to follow the right one?

**Disclaimer:**  
I do not own _The Penguins of Madagascar_. It belongs to _Tom McGrath_, _Eric Daniels_, _DreamWorks Animation_ and _Nickelodeon_. I only own my own OCs.

**Prologue:**  
_The Promise_

**I stood by his deathbed, listening to him speak his last few words.**

I couldn't take it anymore. I just had to let it all out. After my mother's death, I had become so fragile. I couldn't bear losing another, leaving me with nobody left to care about but myself. I didn't have any siblings to be with; my dad was the only one left besides me.

I was only twelve penguins years old, which was equivalent to six human years, and that ratio would only reverse when I reached the age of sixteen. Life had been rough for us, each day a struggle to survive in this icy wasteland we all came to know as Antarctica.

Life took a huge turn for us ever since the hunters started coming, bringing with them huge sticks called guns that shot pointy things that made anything it hit fall unconscious. They seem to want us penguins for a reason I will never fully understand, but one thing is for sure.

_They never stop coming._

My family had to leave for fear that we would be next. Many of the penguins from our village were taken away so rapidly that in only four days, only half our village remained. Many wanted to leave, but the leader of the village insisted we should stay and fight. We didn't like that idea, so we decided to leave the next time the hunters came.

But that was a mistake. A huge mistake that sent us plummeting into depression and regret.

Everything was planned so perfectly, that it nothing should go wrong. But life gave us a punch in the face when one of the hunters spotted us leaving. My mom kept telling us to go without her, that she would keep them busy, but all it took was one shot of their guns and she fell unconscious right there and then.

We dragged her to a nearby cave and waited for the hunters to leave us be. We waited for that moment where her eyes would open again and we would see her jade green pupils smile back at us. We waited there for a hours and hours.

_But it never came to greet us._

Devastated, we left her in the cave after mourning for _who-knows-how-long_ and searched for another place to take refuge from the hunters' wrath, a place where we could try and recuperate. And now, here we are, sitting in a dank ice cave, me crying over my dad's last words. His time on this planet had come to an end.

He spoke to me with a whole-hearted voice, one that could sooth any soul who ever listened to it. It reminded me of my mom, which only added to the sadness that I felt inside me. I was so tempted to grab a nearby icicle and force it through my chest the second he leaves me in this cruel world just so I could join them in the paradise up above where all penguins who had passed on lived together in harmony.

Then, I felt it. It was near. It was finally time for him to go. I listened to him speak with all my heart as he breathed out his last few words.

_"Son,"_ he started. _"I can't tell you...what you were meant to do...in this world. I know that now. I realize that this...is all up to you, Allard. What you are...is what you will become. Don't dwell on the past...because it had already happened...and you can't change that,"_ he continued, forcing out all the sadness I felt as his life slowly drained away from his limp body.

He looked me straight in the eye, his sky blue eyes piercing through my own. _"Promise me...that you will follow your heart. I don't care...which side, good or bad, you choose, cause I've been to both. I leave that choice...to you, because I know you'll make...the right one. Never give up son, because you...are a Goldbeak,"_ He took my flipper in his own, temporarily stopping the flow of tears from my eyes.

_"And I will always love you Allard."_

"I love you too dad," I grabbed him in a great embrace, my salty tears staining his cold chest feathers. "And I p-promise you I'll follow my h-heart. I promise!" I swore, staggering between sobs. He returned the hug, wrapping his cold flippers around me. I didn't want to let go, not now, not ever.

The moment felt so solemn, yet so serene. So terrible, yet so peaceful. Like just for those few seconds a huge burden was off my shoulders. I felt mixed emotions, so many I could barely count them all. It was an explosion of feeling. He pulled away from the hug and reached behind him. He pulled out his favourite hunting knife.

_"Here son, I want you...to have this,"_ he told me as he passed me the knife. Its blade was made of carved stone and its handle was made of stone wrapped with brown cloth. Its sheath was made with the same brown cloth that was attached to another length of cloth to serve as a belt. Tied to the end of the handle were two black penguin feathers; my grandfather's and great-grandfather's feathers.

_"My grandfather...gave this to my father...when he was ready...and then gave it to me...when I was ready, so now...I'm giving it to you."_ He plucked out one of his own black feathers and passed it to me as well. I didn't know how to feel at this, so I just gave him another hug, thanked him and promised to keep it with me as a reminder of him. I was just speechless as I cried over him. Then, _it_ happened.

His grip around me loosened, and soon enough his flippers slid off my back ever so silently. One last breath escaped his beak, and his eyes shut. A subtle smile painted itself on his face as his pulse just stopped.

It was official. He was gone. I looked back at his peaceful and lifeless body, tears running down my wet face. My eyes were now swollen from crying over mom's death yesterday and now, my dad's passing. I felt drained, like nothing mattered anymore. I gave him one final kiss on the forehead before getting back on my feet.

"I promise I will find my purpose," I said to him, hoping his spirit could hear me. "I will do it for you, and for mom."

_A/N: Hooray! Welcome everyone to the new Trilogy And Beyond Series that I will try to craft into a full-on novel just like Cudabear's! I have planned the Trilogy part, which is him finding his destiny, so three crazy stories of craziness! Sorry, but this time, no special guest appearances, just a few OCs of mine on a whirlwind adventure to find their true purpose._

_BTW, the next few chapters will be more on my OC, Allard Goldbeak, but I assure you, the ever famous penguins will be shown later on, for a great reason. R&R!_


	2. Chapter 1

_A/N: And we are back with another chapter of my new TABS! This chapter will be in Third Person, which most of the story will be told in, and this is not really a very exciting chapter as some would hope, but you will get to know more about Allard here with a little, tiny twist and hint in the story at the end. I will therefore officially announce this as a filler chapter, a pretty important one for later. Enjoy!_

**Chapter 1: **  
_The Little Things_

**He covered his face as he trudged through the blizzard.**

Six human years had passed by, rendering Allard Goldbeak eighteen penguin years in age. Now, the ratio was reversed; two human years to one penguin year.

Allard was a rather small penguin, about one and a half feet tall. He carried with him his mother's jade green eyes and his father's gentle voice. On his forehead lay a feathery fringe that tilted towards his left. He liked it that way; just like how his father did. Around his right shoulder was a worn-out old brown slingbag, which he had traded for some fish at a village he visited just recently. He also wore his dad's hunting knife with pride, a third feather, his father's feather, now tied onto it.

He travelled the vast wasteland, moving from village to village, meeting new penguins of various species. He learned how to survive the harsh environment from learning the ways the penguins in the different villages, and by the age of fourteen, he was a survivalist, taking care of himself like he had done it before then.

He had met Emperor Penguins, Adele Penguins, Rockhopper Penguins, Macaroni Penguins, Humboldt Penguins and even some of his own kind; Classified Penguins. Some of the settlements he found were quite inland than his original village, which was near the coastline. He never wanted to return to his original village. He was afraid it would just bring back bad memories.

He never stayed in one village for more than a week, moving to either find another one or to one he's been to before. He made a living doing jobs at the villages, helping out in their daily lives, trading for tools he could use to survive the cruel wasteland as well as fish to eat.

He helped the inhabitants get fish, build more homes, watch over the town from predators, stuff like that. They all appreciate his help, and he enjoyed helping out. For his help, he got food, shelter and supplies before he headed out to move again.

Despite all this, he always managed to find his way back to those very caves his parents passed on in. He never failed to visit them, and he never failed to tell them his adventures as they lay in their graves. He made it a point to visit them on his birthday and on their death anniversaries. It was his favourite three days each year.

_"If you could see me now, I know you would be proud dad,"_ he said to himself as he trudged through the thick snow. He was heading back to the caves to visit his parents' burials. It was their sixth death anniversary and he had so much to tell them about his progress.

Though the blizzard made vision minimal, he could make out the silhouette of The City of Penguins in the distance; the place he was born and raised at. He was lucky the caves were well away from it. He couldn't bear visiting it again after so long.

Upon arrival at the cave his mom died in, he staggered down to an area of the cave floor that had a neatly stacked pile of small rocks. He gave the rock pile a small wave and smiled. "Hey mom," he greeted.

A few hours passed, talking about the penguins he met and the villages his been to and how he's doing. For those few hours, it felt like a normal, everyday conversation with your parents. For those few hours, he felt at peace, like they never left him six years ago.

A grumble escaped Allard's belly, signalling the time for dinner. "Oh, I guess I have to go for a while and get something to eat. I'll be back in a few, ok mom?" he asked rhetorically. He stood up from the rock he sat on and headed out the cave. _"And while I'm at it, I think I can keep some fish in here,"_ he said to himself, gesturing to his new penguin-sized slingbag.

Climbing out the cave, he belly-slid over to the coastline, took off his slingbag and hunting knife and hid them in some nearby rocks. He covered them with some snow to camouflage them and jumped into the freezing waters to catch some fish.

_"Ok, I guess about ten fish should be more than enough,"_ he thought as he grabbed his tenth fish. He held half in his beak and the rest with his left flipper. From the corner of his eye, he spotted some figures a few hundred feet from him, but not just _any_ figures.

Two leopard seals, one purple one and one blue one. From their look, they were both in their teens. He always couldn't forget the story his dad told him about his grandfather's adventures, especially the one about how he fought off a whole family of leopard seals using only his flippers and a _whole lot of snow_.

_"I don't want to mess with them right now,"_ he thought as he made his way out of the water. When he resurfaced, he swam quickly to shore and dumped the fish onto the icy floor. He caught a much-needed breath of air and shook of the remaining water droplets on his feathers. Then he picked up the fish, packed them into his slingbag and headed back for the cave.

More hours passed as he continued his story-telling to his dead mother, munching on one or two fishes that he caught. He didn't have much left to share, so when he was done, he thought it was best to catch some sleep, so that tomorrow he could wake up early to tell his dad about his adventures since last year.

_"Good night mom,"_ he said, his eyelids getting heavier as he drifted to sleep. Then, a misty figure manifested itself beside him. The sight was as mystical and magical as it could get. When it was done, the figure that appeared was a female penguin with jade green eyes. If Allard was awake, he'll know who it was instantly.

_Annabella Goldbeak; Allard's mom._

She looked at him with a big smile on her face. Giving him a rather ghostly goodnight kiss, she said, _**"Goodnight my dear Allard. You're journey on this Earth will soon begin, so I wish you best of luck."**_ With that, she dissipated back into thin air, but Allard was still fast asleep, a smile now engulfing his peaceful face.

_A/N: So, how was it? Like the last paragraph? It's the little hint for later, as well as the little hint of what he saw in the waters. The next paragraph is not the ever famous penguins (yet), nor is it Allard's. It is another, first person, chapter on another person that will be the one to bring everything together. R&R!_


	3. Chapter 2

_A/N: I love this series so far! I managed to plan the most of the story to really go past at least 20 chapters! With that said, this is in the POV of a new character whom will be important to Allard's journey. I'll explain the last part of last chapter two chapters from now. So, enjoy this chapter and finally, next chapter will be the famous penguins!_

**Chapter 2:**

_Taken Away_

**I never felt this scared in my life.**

Usually I get this feeling when I do things I'm not used to or if everyone is watching me. But now, I was so scared that I was actually shaking. Also not usual, because I was used to the extreme cold of Antarctica, but when I'm this terrified, I always feel like I lost all my feathers.

This time, I was scared of death. I was scared of being taken away from my parents and never being able to see them again. The thought of it made me sick, it made me realise that the world is a cruel place. I never wanted it to happen.

_Ever._

It all started this very morning. Everything was going normally, just like any normal day we had. Who knew that even on a day like this, evil can still hide undetected. Us penguins did what we usually do; the younger ones would stay at home with their dads while our moms would go fishing. My mom was a great fisher; the best actually.

_Then, they came._

We didn't it expect at all. It just came so suddenly, like a flash of light in the darkness. We were overwhelmed, outnumbered and unprepared. It was like the stories we were told, the ones about how these humans would take us far away from here, never to be seen again. We passed them off as urban legends or myths, because we never actually saw them.

I always wondered why there were so many penguins on guard. They always tell me that they were defending against leopard seals or antarctic wolves, never these hunters. But now, we couldn't handle them. We had to flee, just like in the stories.

So here I was now, running as fast as I could with my parents, away from our village that now comparable to hell. We needed to get as far as we could, but we knew that there we hunters following us, ready to shoot us with that terrifying metal stick that made any penguin it hit fall unconscious.

We suddenly turned and ran to a big pile of rocks a few hundred metres from our village. It look pretty secure, maybe enough to hide in as we waited for them to just leave us be. When we made it, they asked me to go in first and stay quiet.

"Come on mom! Come on dad! Get in before they come!" I said to them, gesturing them to join me by extending a flipper. They just stood there and looked on at me with sadness in their expression.

Then my mom spoke, her next words breaking my heart. "I'm sorry Sophia, but we need to help the village from those hunters and we need you to stay here," she said, the sentence dripping with sadness. "We don't know what we would do without you, and I need you to be safe. Please, stay here and don't follow us _no matter what..."_

I didn't know what to say. I didn't what to do. Did she really say that? I know mom and dad would do anything to keep me safe, but abandoning me to do it? What should I say? I was at complete loss for words so my reflexes took over.

"NO! Don't leave me! They'll take you far away if you let them see you! Please don't leave me!" I pleaded, but it was no use. They gave me one final kiss on the forehead and left.

"We promise we'll come back. We pro..." My dad never finished that sentence, as he got hit by something puffy and red on his right side, and instantly I knew it was the hunter's sleeping stick. I ducked into the shadows of the rock pile, abiding to what my mom told me to do. I never saw where she went, and that worried me.

Then, a big, burly human covered in a lot of something furry and white came into view. Over its shoulder hung the devastating sleeping stick. I watched in horror as it picked up my now-unconscious dad and placed him into a cage that had many other penguins. Then, I almost screamed when I saw my mom was in there as well.

"That should be enough," the human said, its voice sounding male. "Let's get these penguins to New York ASAP. I want my pay already for being in this horrid wasteland for so long." He then picked up the cage and a few other hunters followed him, all holding cages carrying penguins.

When I thought the time was right, I climbed out of the shadows and followed them as quietly as I could. I ducked behind rocks and snow banks as they headed towards the water not too far from the village. In the water was something I have never seen before.

It was made of the same material of their sleeping sticks; metal. It was floating on the water ever so gently and there was a pile of fish in it. Nets were hung from long poles that stuck out of it and in the center there was a big box that a human could fit into, I think.

"Hurry up! Load the penguins on the boat already! I think I'm getting frostbites!" The hunters nodded and put the cages on the metal floating thing, which I think they called a boat. Then, one of them entered the big box and a great, big noise sounded from it. I never heard it before, but it sounded like a mix between growling and thunder or something like that.

Then, it started to move, away from where I hid. I had to think fast. Should I stay and hide? Or should try to get on before it goes away? If I stayed and hid, I would never be able to see my parents again. If I tried to get on, they hunters might take me as well.

_Or worse._

Instinctively, I jumped out and started calling to them to see if they would wake up and get out. The hunters turned around, but to my surprise, ignored me. I couldn't swim after them, because I was still young and I didn't have my swimming feathers yet. Swimming after them now would just be plain suicide.

I watched helplessly as the boat disappeared into the distance. Gone like the wind as story said. Tears then flowed down my face to the realisation that my parents were gone.

_Forever._

_"Or are they?" _I thought, a glint of hope lighting up my spirit. The hunters mentioned another place, somewhere other than Antarctica. What was it? New something. New Town? New Village?

_"New York!"_ I said when my memory finally came. _"If I can get to New York, I may be still able to find them,"_ I said softly to myself. Then the thought came to me. How in the world am I going to get to New York? Better yet, _what is_ and _where is_ New York?

My thoughts were ended when a sudden gust of warm air hit me on the back of my head, a slight rumbling sound following after. I froze in place instantly. Slowly, I turned only to stare straight into the eyes of death. Behind me, standing twice as tall as me, stood a penguin's worst enemy.

A leopard seal.

_A/N: Well, that's it! I wonder if you can estimate when these events happened as well as the ones in the next. So, as always, R&R to support this epic series!_


	4. Chapter 3

_A/N: The next chapter! Yeah! This is a pretty great achievement for me as this is the longest chapter I have ever written for any story! I went into a lot of detail, which surprisingly wasn't as hard as I thought. So, please enjoy!_

**Chapter 3:**

_A Special Set Of News_

**It was a busy day at Central Park Zoo.**

Crowds of visitors piled in and out of the zoo, the occasional group of students on a field trip trekking along with them. It was one of the zoo's busiest days, which wasn't an uncommon sight. What was uncommon was the fact that it wasn't just an average, everyday zoo. This zoo housed a certain rookery of animals who have sworn to protect it and the world.

_"Just smile and wave boys,"_ a voice loomed from the habitat in the center; the main attraction of the place. This voice, however, was not understandable to the visitors in any way. To them, it was a bunch of random bird sounds. The reason? Well, because it came from a penguin.

The zoo's main attraction were four male penguins, the forth in his late teens and the rest full-grown adults.

They were all the same species; the rare Classic Penguin, also known as Classified Penguins. Their species' colour-scheme only included the basic colours of a penguin; black, white and orange. Their size never surpassed the height of an average two-year old human boy; an average height range of about one to three feet.

The voice, stern and authoritative, belonged to the leader of the rookery; a short, flat-headed penguin who goes by the name of Henry Skipper Jackson. He had ocean blue eyes, the common eye colour of this species. Other colours included a less frequent green and a pretty rare brown.

Skipper was a proud leader, but not in the usual 'penguin leader' status, but the status of a leader in his team of highly-trained commando penguins. Crazy right? Well, that is why they work in secret, making sure no one else knew. If the American government knew of their existence, they may be seen as a threat, much to Skipper's worry, when in reality, they are the thin line between the forces of good and evil.

He was the third tallest in the rookery, one shorter than him and the other two taller. The shortest in the group, who was also the youngest, was an adorable and chubby penguin who went by the name of Private Riley Goodwin.

Private had a high-pitched voice, but not high enough to be mistaken for a girl's voice, that had a distinct British accent embedded in it. A dark ocean blue colour painted his eyes, much similar to Skipper's. He carried the rank Private 1st Class and was in charge of Special Operations.

A big-sized penguin took his place as second tallest in the group. He had a signature feathery mohawk that laid on his slightly flat head and a long scar that spanned along the left side of his beak. His eyes were medium ocean blue and he spoke with grunts and poorly-pronounced words due to an old accident. Even so, he was still understandable among his team mates.

He possessed the ability to literally swallow and regurgitate anything, be it fish or rocket launchers. He held onto the rank of Sergeant 1st Class and the title of 'Weapons Expert'. He had a slight addiction for explosions as well as a hunger for destruction. Skipper and the team always help him keep sane and not go on a craze-driven rampage.

The tallest of the rookery went by the name of Alfred James Kowalski. He had medium ocean blue eyes and had a burning passion for science. He wore the rank of Lieutenant 1st Class and was the team's official scientist. He owned a personal lab where he would usually stay in for hours tinkering and inventing an assortment of gadgets that the team used often on their missions. He also had a gigantic crush on a bottle-nosed dolphin he had met some time ago named Doris Young.

Fish was thrown over to the penguin as the crowd cheered loudly at their performance. The four gave them their classic 'smile and wave' as they picked up their prize. This is how they got their lunch each day, besides Sundays, where the zoo would be closed.

When the crowd dispersed to the rest of the habitats, the four penguins gave each other high fives, signaling a good day's work. "Twenty-nine fish. Wow! That's a new record!" Skipper commented. He glanced over to his subordinates and gave them an impressed look.

"And you all know what that means."

Rico raised his flippers in the air in excitement. "Snowcones!" he grunted happily. The other two gave a happy look to each other before nodding.

Whenever the team got a new record for either their performance earnings or timing for cleaning their HQ that was situated secretly beneath the concrete ice flow they stood on, or if Skipper approves it, they get rewarded with the sweet, icy treat the world knows as snowcones.

Happy for their achievement, they had barely noticed the approaching presence of a female Asian Otter named Marlene Summers. She was the only otter in the entire zoo but even so, she has made friends with just about everyone and understands other's problems with relative ease.

Marlene was considered a great friend to the penguins, so great that on many occasions, they allow her to tag along on their missions. She hated some of them, but most were very memorable. But her friendship has never been stronger than with the leader penguin.

Skipper also considered her as his best friend, even though he goes by his quote of _"Friends are just enemies who haven't attacked you yet."_ Plus, he considers her as 'smart', though he wasn't very fond of mammals and often marks them as dumb.

On many occasions, they have shown great trust in each other and sometimes even show that their great friendship, may actually be more than just friendship.

"Guys!" Marlene called out as she climbed onto the concrete ice flow, waving her paws to try and get their attention. They turned around and instantly returned the greeting.

"Hi-dee ho Marlene!" Skipper greeted happily. He usually tells her off for barging in on their 'covert operations', but when he is in a good mood he would be all nice and such, which was a whole different side to Skipper.

_"Guys...I need...to tell you...something important,"_ she staggered breathlessly.

"Sorry Marlene, but we need to go on a snowcone run," Skipper said apologetically. "Can you tell us later? It wouldn't take long," he requested. Marlene nodded as she caught her breath.

"Sure. I'll be right here."

"Alright boys, move out!" ordered Skipper. The four waved goodbye and vaulted over the fence into a belly-slide towards the park. They exited through one of their secret entrances/exits and carried on while avoiding detection from the humans strolling around the park.

They hid behind a tree trunk as they waited for the snowcone cart to pass by, which was just a few feet away. Suddenly, a slight, inaudible grumble escaped Skipper's belly.

_"Hmm, my gut's trying to tell me something,"_ he thought to himself. He called this skill 'gut instinct'. He said that only the best can follow gut instinct flawlessly. _"Something about what Marlene had to tell us,"_ he added.

"Mark!" Skipper ordered, snapping out of his thoughts. They jumped at the vendor and knocked him out. Surprisingly, no one saw what just happened, so they four collected their treat and Rico left some money on the cart.

Back at the Penguin HQ, which can be accessed via the fishbowl entrance hidden under, well, their fishbowl, sat Marlene. She had really meant it when she said she would stay there as the zoo was closing anyway and Alice, the zookeeper, never bothered to make sure the animals were in their habitats by then.

Marlene was a rather social otter. She would make friends with just about anybody, well, at least try to. She had a hazel brown eye colour that practically summarises the colour of autumn. Her right foot had a patch of white fur instead of the usual brown, but that made her special. She spoke with a sweet and understanding voice that could easily be marked as angelic.

A scraping sounded through the room, signaling that the penguins were back from their 'mission'. "Marlene!" Skipper said surprised. "Wow, you really meant it when you said you would stay right here."

He gestured to Rico to give her the extra snowcone they got as soon as they got off the ladder. She took it from his flipper and gave it a taste. "Mmm..." she said. "Thanks guys, but you really didn't have to. "

"Nah, my treat." Skipper's gut grumbled inaudibly once more. "Oh yeah, what did you want to tell us?"

"Yeah Marlene. You ran like a maniac to our habitat earlier on," Kowalski supported. It took her a few seconds to process their fast-paced talk.

"Oh that! Yeah, get this! I was just swimming in my pool when I overheard Alice mention the words 'new arrivals'," she explained, taking a few licks of her snowcone as she did. "She also said that they, the new arrivals, were penguins!"

Skipper's face went into 'poker-face' mode while Kowalski started checking his clipboard. Rico and Private simply cheered.

"New penguins! Oh goody!" said Private.

When Skipper processed the info, he turned to Kowalski for any confirmation. "You must be mistaken Marlene, because I don't have anything here that says there will be any new arrivals," Kowalski countered.

Marlene glared at him skeptically. "Yeah, nothing _on your clipboard_ says there are, cause she just got the news today."

"Are you sure about this info Marlene?" asked Skipper. She simply nodded in reply. "Well then, we need to find out if what Marlene found out is credible, so..."

"You're going to check Alice's computer," Marlene completed.

"Exactly. Men, move out!" ordered Skipper.

In Alice's office, a quiet, enclosed room that only contained a desk, a roller chair, a computer and a water dispenser, the penguins were searching through the papers and the computer for any signs of transfer papers. They may not know how to read, but they have memorised how the transfer papers look like. Plus, they know a few human words, enough to read them.

"Marlene's right. It says right here in Alice's email that she was sold two penguins, one male and one female, _today,"_ Kowalski read.

"Wait, did you say female?" asked Skipper, who popped out of the desk's drawer that held various papers.

"Yes sir. The first female penguin this zoo has ever gotten it seems," confirmed Kowalski. "It also says that this female is attached to this male penguin, thus the reason why they were sold together."

"Why'd Alice buy them then?" asked Private.

"They were sold for only two hundred dollars it seems."

"That seems a bit suspicious, don't it?" asked Skipper. "They could be spies working for Blowhole or Hans or something for all we know."

Kowalski shook his head. "Highly implausible sir. It says they were shipped straight from Antarctica."

Skipper snapped his flipper, well, looked like he snapped his flipper. "Blast! Darn pirates and their no good ways." He sighed. "Ok, I'll take it easy on them, but I'm still watching them in case they try anything funny."

Private then interrupted. "When are they going to arrive Kowalski?"

"Three days from now."

_A/N: Ok, this was a pretty long chapter, for me that is. The chapters will be changing POVs; one for the penguins, the next for Allard or something. I'm trying a Cudabear approach to this, cause I learn from the best! R&R!_


	5. Chapter 4

_A/N: We are back with chapter 4 of The Chosen: A Shrouded Destiny! Thanks to all reviewers, especially one of my favourite, top 5 authors, Cudabear! I really hope whoever else is reading this would check his work because it is phenomenal! ENJOY!_

**Chapter 4:**

_Good Deed_

**I woke up to the silent morning breeze on my face.**

It was a wonderful feeling. It made you feel refreshed, like all your troubles disappeared for that moment in time. I had the usual dreams I had everytime I slept here. Dreams of when my parents were alive and we would just be the happy family we were before.

I sat up and gave a small yawn as I stretched my flippers above my head. I was still wondering why last night's dream felt so real, like my mom was really there. Her voice sounded so angelic, so alive.

_"Maybe she entered my dream?"_ I thought. I grabbed some fish from my pack and filled my empty stomach. _"Nah, that's a bit too farfetched."_

When I finished my breakfast, I stood up and packed my gear up so I could head straight for my dad's grave. I turned around when I reached the cave entrance and whispered goodbye to my mom.

"What the heck?!" I suddenly blurted when a barrage of screams greeted me as I approached the cave where my dad's grave was. I turned to look back at The City of Penguins not too far away and saw a seemingly familiar sight.

"Hunters. After this long they came back only now?" I asked myself. I really didn't realise back then about the fact that I talk to myself, a lot. Many penguins have told me this countless times throughout my time here so I am fully aware of it. Who else could I talk to other than me?

"Better stay clear of that place. I don't want a repeat of..." I shook out the thought before I could finish it. I didn't really want to remember those many years ago. They are too painful to experience again.

Without another word or thought, I entered the darkness of the cave, the little light of the morning sun revealing the icy interior that held my father's grave. It was pretty hard to see, but the whiteness of the ice and snow effectively bounced the miniscule amount of light enough to see straight.

It was a pretty mesmerising sight to behold; the subtle light shining through the translucent ice, making it appear like crystals in some fairytale land of some sort. The snow looked a lot better with this lighting, almost like how the sun lit up the big blue ocean enchantingly. My mom would surely love this place, if she was still here that is.

I waved at another pile of small rocks, marking the place my dad's body. "Hey dad. Nice to see you again," I said. I found my place on a stump of ice and began, retelling my current progress. Some penguins actually called me a weirdo before because of what I do every year, but it was the only way I could do to be with them each year.

However, a few minutes into my recount, a big, cold gush of air whooshed pass me. I actually shivered from it but I knew that I was tolerant to the cold winds in Antarctica, so why do I feel cold? I looked behind me to see that none of the snow was moving, meaning that there were no winds.

"What the?" I decided to ignore it and turned back, only to get the biggest scare I could ever get in the history of biggest scares ever. "GAAAHHH!" I screamed. I fell backwards and immediately I started to back away from, well, my father.

_**"Allard. Let me..."**_

"AAH! Who are you! You...you can be a-alive! I saw you d-die!" I blurted out in fear. "I must still be dreaming. Wake up! Wake up, wake up, wake up!" I said, slapping myself to try to awake from this dream.

Then, I felt something colder than ice on my back. I froze up, slowly turning around to see what it was. I got the shock of my life when I saw what, or more of who, it is. "MOM!"

I instantly started panicking, not bothering what they were saying. "This can't be happening! This CAN'T be happening!" I repeated as I covered my eyes.

_**"ALLARD!" **_my dad said, putting his cold, translucent flippers on my shoulders. _**"We are your parents. Please, let us explain,"**_ he pleaded. I just nodded open-beaked at him. _**"Thank you. Ann..."**_

My mom then, FLOATED, beside my dad. They looked just like they were when they died, not a bit older than their passing.

_**"Look Allard, remember my dad?"**_ asked my mom. I nodded blankly. _**"Remember how he keeps saying that he sees things other penguins can't?"**_ I nodded as well. _**"Well, that's because he has a third eye; the ability to see spirits like us."**_

_**"Ann doesn't have it, because it is only passed on to every other generation in her side of the family, which means..."**_

"I have it?" I replied, finally catching up with what's going on. "Are you saying I can see you because I have a gift? So you and mom are..."

_**"Yes, we're spirits," **_they replied in unison.

My parents were spirits? But I thought spirits lived, up there? "Then why are you not in heaven? Don't you want to be there?" I asked naively.

Mom then gestured me to sit back down, so I did. _**"It's not how it works exactly. Yes, when we die we go to heaven, but those are the ones who have nothing left to do in this world,"**_ she explained. _**"We are here because we still have something we need to do before we can go."**_

"Then, what do you need to do?" I asked.

_**"We're here to help you find..."**_ A scream then interrupted my dad, causing us to turn to face the cave entrance. It sounded closer than how it would sound if it came from The City Of Penguins. It sounded like a little girl.

"You were say..." They were gone. "What? Where'd they go?" Another scream pierced the air, startling me.

_"Somebody! Help! HEEEELLLLPPPP!"_

It sounded very close. I couldn't decide if I should help or not for fear that it was a hunter chasing her. I needed to think fast. What would my dad do? Dang, they were here a second ago, why did they go? Or did I just imagine the whole thing?

Before I could make a second thought, my conscience took over and I ran out to try and locate the source of the screaming. A blur of blue zoomed past my right side, causing me to turn.

A leopard seal, apparently the blue one from yesterday, was after a young penguin chick. "Oh, thank god it wasn't a hunter," I said in relief. "Hey, over here!" I yelled at the chick. She immediately glanced over to me and started running in my direction.

_"Uh, maybe I should have thought this over before doing it."_ When they neared, I took out my knife and readied it. She ran behind me and that gave me the signal to point the knife at the leopard seal.

It instantly slowed down before stopping just before my knife pierced its throat. "Back off! Leave her alone or you'll regret it!" I threatened, twisting the knife towards its face.

To my surprise, it just knocked my knife away faster than you could blink. "I'm not afraid of that penguin play-thing," the leopard seal said in a rebellious teenage boy-sounding voice. "I just want a snack."

"Oh snap," I said before backing up as he stepped forward. "Stay behind me, I'll protect you," I assured. Apparently, my luck today was drained when my back hit the cold ice wall of the cave. The entrance was on the other side of the wall boxing us in on my left. Even if we could go in the cave, we'll just get more cornered.

"Gotcha," he taunted, smiling deviously. We covered our faces from the sight we were about to witness. I was going to die, and so would the penguin chick I was protecting. We waited for the pain to come, but instead we heard a voice yelling stop.

_A/N: Whoa! Cliffhanger! Oh, I bolded and Italic the sentences where the 'spirits' talk. It's is just so it's clearer. So, next chapter a familiar sounding pair from before which means a new part of the story! R&R to support this so far!_


	6. Chapter 5

_A/N: I don't have much to say, so thanks to reviewers and ENJOY!_

**Chapter 5:**

_Worries_

**Sara cried on my shoulder as we sat in a cramped cage.**

The place was dark, filthy and filled with penguins of different species. I wondered why these people need so many penguins for, why they hunt us for. If they had no good reason to, then it would seem that these hunters are heartless and cruel.

I looked down to Sara, my wife, and comforted her as her tears rolled down my waterproof feathers. That stuff they put us down with seemed to have worn off, but even so I felt drowsy and disorientated. The rocking of the big, metal boat really didn't help lessen it.

I looked around for any means of escape; but there was nothing. I had no idea how to pry open the locks on the cage nor knock it off from the top of the other cages. The situation seemed like hopeless.

_I could only hope that our daughter Sofia isn't here somewhere._

I looked around at the others who were with us. Some panicking, some sulking, some still asleep from that hunting stick. There were so many, all of different species. I couldn't even comprehend the number of species there are here.

Gathering enough courage, I asked, "Where are these hunters taking us?" I mostly said it to air around me, just so more penguins could hear my question. The noise ceased almost instantly, filling the room with deafening silence.

"We all want to know the same thing," replied a Macaroni Penguin opposite us. He looked pretty beat-down, so I assume he had fought one of the hunters before he was captured.

Then, the dank room filled with chatter that was sparked by my question, mostly about them imagining the worse things a penguin could ever imagine a hunter do. "I know where we're going," yelled a random penguin amongst the barrage of voices.

Eyes turned to a small, Adele Penguin in the corner. He was pretty small - probably a bit shorter than Sara - and looked nervous. I could barely see his light blue eyes from where I was, and he spoke with a pretty young voice.

"Where?" I asked him, since the activity instantly died down when he spoke.

"They're taking us to their homeland and selling us to different zoos or aquariums," he answered, a hint of fear in his voice. At this point, Sara had calmed down some and was now intrigued with this new information.

"What's a zoo?" she asked. I could really adore her ability to switch to a positive mood when even a glint of hope shows itself. It was why she was my Sara.

"I don't exactly what it is," he said, nervousness dripping from his tone. "But from what I heard, it's like a prison." He shivered from the thought.

"So, we're being imprisoned? For doing what?" I asked. It seemed pretty illogical for human to put us into prisons when they're the ones doing the bad deeds. It was ironic actually.

The booming sound of metal sounded across the room, shushing us all down. The pitchy drag of metal followed after and came with the smell of fish.

_Fish that was fresh._

_Fish that was caught straight from the deep blue._

_Fish...that we needed._

A small, human figure then came into view, in his hands were the fish we smelt. A second figure, that looked shorter than the first, came dragging a larger metal can that was also filled with fish.

"Come on Tyler!" said the second figure. He sounded young; a teenage boy most probably. "Will you please help me with this?! It's so darn heavy!"

"Just a sec Skyler, I need to give these out first," said the first. He too, sounded young; he sounded almost like the second boy. They both stepped into the little light that illuminated the center of the room and revealed their faces.

Both looked strikingly similar; they both had blonde hair - the first figure wearing a fringe just above his right eye, dirt brown eyes and had clear apron things, possibly to keep their clothes from getting wet.

The one named Tyler gave out the fish he had in his arms, five each for every cage. The hunters were kind of organised in their captures, putting only five penguins in each cage. The bigger penguins - Emperor Penguins for example - had only one in each cage, making the number of Emperors in the room very less.

When the fish in his hands were all given out, he went over to the large metal can the one named Skyler was dragging and picked up more fish. "Consider yourself, helped..."

Skyler scowled at him as he resumed handing out the fish. He made it to our cage and put the fish through the gaps in the cage. We all hungrily took them and ate them greedily.

"It kinda sad how these penguins look so helpless," said Skyler.

"What do you mean?" asked Tyler.

"Well, look at them! All locked up in a small cage with other penguins they may not even know and eating fish like they never ate any before." I couldn't believe my ear holes. Is this human actually feeling sorry for taking us?

"Of course they didn't. They hadn't had anything to eat since the hunters took them two hours ago."

"Come on Ty. Don't you feel this is a bit...I don't know...wrong?" Skyler said as he stopped next to the cage I was in. When I saw his face, it showed a face of pity. I always thought humans were cruel and demented, but his face showed something more than cruelty.

_It actually showed he cared._

"They're just a bunch of birds," replied Tyler, almost like he didn't even care. He continued giving out fish as Skyler continued on his argument.

"How would you feel if I locked you in a cage? Just look at these guys. They didn't deserve to be taken from their homes like this." He then reached into the cage I stood in and stroked my head feathers ever so gently. To be honest, it actually felt soothing and reassuring.

"Just shut it and do your job. We need to do this ok? It's the only darn job we could get, so don't mess it up with your pity!"

"Have a heart Ty. I know you know this is wrong. Admit it."

Tyler sighed. "Fine, whatever. I think this is wrong too, but if we don't do our job, they'll kick us out and we can't get enough money to help mom!"

_"What's going on down there!"_ a muffled voice asked. The two turned to the door they came in from in surprise.

"Nothing sir!" Skyler answered. Now, his voice was dripping with fear. Did these humans fear those other humans just as we fear them?

The voice echoed again, this time not as loud and demanding,_ "There better not! If I see even one penguin escape, you can both kiss your pay goodbye!"_

The sound of footsteps on metal then echoed the room, getting softer as they progress, signaling the owner of the voice from before disappearing back to where he came from.

"Told you to keep your mouth shut," said Tyler after a few moments. "Now please, just help me finish this up so we can go."

Skyler nodded blindly and helped Tyler hand out the rest of the fish. When they were done, they left from where they came in from without another word.

_"Heh. Humans that feel pity,"_ a voice said right after the two boys left. I looked around for its source and traced it to a Classified Penguin diagonally below me on my left.

"Yeah, I know," I replied to him. "I always thought humans were evil, but they are a different story."

The penguin turned to look at me, a jade green piercing my ice blue eyes. "No man, not that. They are pitiful humans, which means one thing."

I gave it a small thought. "That not all humans are not as cruel as we thought they were?" I offered.

He did a faceflipper, making Sara laugh a bit. "No. Pitiful humans mean we can use them to help us..."

"Escape?" finished Sara. He nodded.

"Exactly," he said. "Name's Crazy Daze by the way." he added, giving us a small but great salute.

"Why Crazy Dave?" I asked. He simply shrugged. "O...k. I'm Jay. Jayden Snowfeathers."

"Pleasure to meet you Jay," he replied with a smile.

"I'm his wife, Sara Snowfeathers," added Sara. He smiled back at us.

"Pleasure to meet you too miss..." he answered. "So are you in, or out?"

"For what, escaping?" He nodded. I looked at Sara and she gave me a nod. "Well, if you are sure you know what you're doing, then I guess...we're in."

_A/N: Ooh, they have a chance of escaping! If you hadn't guessed it yet, these are Sofia's parents. Plus, don't think I wouldn't make use of the new human OCs I made. They will have a great contribution to the story later on. Till then, R&R!_


End file.
